Political parties sign Blantyre City peace declaration ahead of September 16 elections

* As Malawi Police Service is conducting anti-violence campaign in various parts of the country urging candidates, youths and community members to embrace peace and tolerance  during this period

* There is need for collective responsibility from candidates, young people and all other electoral stakeholders to create a conducive environment for peaceful campaigns that should lead to peaceful, credible and fair elections

By Pempho Nkhoma & Alice Ndunya & Amanda Chimtengo, MANA

Political party representatives and stakeholders in Blantyre City yesterday signed the Blantyre City Peace Declaration, demonstrating commitment to promote peace and unity during election period.

The ceremony took place at the end of a three day training aiming at building peace and unity in the city and the political parties involved included Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), United Transformation Movement (UTM), People’s Development Party (PDP), Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu, Liberation For Economic Freedom, People’s Party (PP) and Umodzi Party.

While the stakeholders involved in the training included Malawi Peace & Unity Commission,  Centre for Multiparty Democracy, District Peace & Unity Commission for Blantyre city and Blantyre Multiparty Liaison Committee.

Similar engagements were also recently held in other district like Mangochi and Karonga. Commissioner for Malawi Peace & Unity Commission, Simon Munde said they are supported by United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) through United Nation Peace Building Fund as peace-building initiative to discuss and identify potential conflicts in the district and agree on how to resolve them.

“Most of the times political parties are accused of being sources of conflicts,” he said. “So bringing them to table and find possible solutions even before conflicts escalate into violence is a way to go.”

Munde, therefore, expressed hope that Blantyre will be a peaceful city through out the electoral processes: “We are hoping that this will go beyond electoral processes — Blantyre will regain it’s status of a peaceful city in the country or even in Southern Africa,” he said.

Blantyre City Council director of administrations, Lytton Nkata urged political party leaders in the city to pass on the message they got from the workshop to voters.

“We want to ensure that there is peaceful elections in Blantyre and Malawi at large,” he said. “It’s our hope that the message that has been disseminated here will also be passed on to the voters and the party followers.”

DPP Blantyre district governor, Elias Mazudi commended the organisers, saying the meeting was beneficial and encouraged coexisting: “As party leaders, it is our responsibility to tell our members to observe peace during this election period.”

Meanwhile, the Malawi Police Service (MPS) is conducting anti-violence campaign in various parts of the country urging candidates, youths and community members to embrace peace and tolerance  during this period.

Eastern Region Police were in Machinga yesterday at Michongwe Primary School, drawing police officers, local leaders, aspiring candidates and residents who pledged their commitment to peaceful coexistence during the campaign period.

Assistant Commissioner of Police in the Eastern Region, Ruth Harawa warned against the use of youths to disrupt campaign meetings or destroy political materials, saying such acts threaten peace and credibility of the elections.

“There is need for collective responsibility from candidates, young people and all other electoral stakeholders to create a conducive environment for peaceful campaigns that should lead to peaceful, credible and fair elections,” she said.

Harawa further called on candidates to focus on issue-based campaigns, stressing that unity and tolerance were vital for meaningful development.

Chairperson for the Eastern Region executive committee, Dan Phiri highlighted the importance of working with grassroots community policing structures to maintain order.

“Community policing members should be utilised effectively as they are elected by communities and trained to remain non-partisan,” he said.

Senior Group Village Head Suwani expressed optimism that political players would respect each other despite belonging to different parties.

“Whether we belong to different political parties, we should be responsible enough to respect each other’s affiliation,” he said, urging communities to live in harmony regardless of political differences.

The campaign forms part of nationwide efforts by MPS to prevent electoral violence and safeguard peace during the election period.

In Salima, as electoral stakeholders were being urged voters to uphold an objective and peaceful democratic process, Salima Police Station’s Inspector Rita Lazaro reinforced this message — warning against acts of violence, intimidation, or sabotage during campaigns.

She urged voters not to collaborate with politicians to disrupt opponents rallies or remove their party flags, stressing that such actions are punishable by law.

“All candidates should be allowed to campaign without interference from opponents,” she said. “Members of the public should report any misconduct to community policing committees or directly to the police.”

Held at Tchuwa village, assistant elections officer, Davie Mpakani highlighted the importance of electing leaders based on their ideologies and accessibility rather than short-term benefits.

Mpakani also cautioned voters against accepting handouts from candidates during the ongoing campaign period: “Whether in the form of money or other materials, handouts should not be accepted, as this compromises our ability to elect leaders who can bring lasting change to our communities,” he said.

In her remarks, Senior Chief Kalonga assured stakeholders that Salima communities are committed to supporting objectivity over handouts.

She pledged that her community will foster an inclusive electoral environment where voters are guided by transformative goals rather than material incentives.

Kalonga further underscored that all candidates; whether men, women, youth, or persons with disabilities will be supported equally.

The awareness meeting was organised by Womens Legal Resources Centre (Worlec) and Oxfam under the Promoting Gender Transformative and Youth-Inclusive Democracy project with support from European Union.